Do you have any sort of a criminal record or any outstanding civil judgments? Please be specific.

No

BREAKING THE ICE

What is the best piece of political advice you ever received?

To be honest, ethical, and to treat every issue seriously and with integrity.

What character trait best serves a public official?

Integrity

What character flaw most harms a public official?

Hypocrisy

What is your favorite book (besides a spiritual text)?

Travels with Charlie by John Steinbeck.

What is your favorite place in Arizona?

The Grand Canyon

Which Arizona political figure past or present do you most admire and why?

I most admire Senator Morris Udall. Udall was a pioneer on issues such as the environment and campaign finance reform long before these became the hot topics that they are today. And he had a great sense of humor!

ISSUES

Why are you running for school board?

I am running for re-election because after one term on the Phoenix Elementary #1 School Board I feel that I know a great deal about our school district and how it operates. I look forward to continuing the progress that we have made in developing schools that are successfully meeting the needs of our diverse student population.

Describe the top three educational challenges your district will face in the coming school year and explain your strategies to overcome those challenges.

A

Funding. The State of Arizona has never been generous in its funding of State education. Nor has the Federal Government. Furthermore, school districts are often saddled with unfunded mandates dictated by the public sector. Strategies for increased funding are few, generally limited to whatever resources may be available from the private sector: foundations, businesses, tax incentives, to mention a few.

B

Student Enrollment. The demographics of our district have been changing. Student enrollment has declined somewhat recently as parents who have lost recession-related jobs are moving to other parts of the country. However the development of new employment opportunities in downtown Phoenix associated with ASU, the Bio-Sciences and other such ventures have resulted in an increase of parents with school age children moving into the district’s historic neighborhoods. The challenge for our school district is to develop programs that are competitive with the other educational options that new residents may have (charter schools, private schools, etc.). (See Question #8.)

C

English Language Learners. A sizeable number of children in our district can be classified as English Language Learners (ELLs). Children who do not have the opportunity to learn English will often decide that they cannot succeed in school, as do their parents, which often contributes to high truancy and drop-out rates. The earlier one can teach a child a second language, the easier it is to learn. English as a Second Language (ESL) be emphasized in pre-kindergarten and kindergarten to give children an early start on their future education.

What spending issues in your district's budget do you challenge and what would you do instead?

Our school budget is reviewed in detail several times annually by the Board. Occasionally we will attempt to shift a small amount of funding from one line item to another, but our budgets are amazingly well crafted when we realize how limited the resources are that we have to run our school district.

While school districts cannot advocate an override, what can be done to help market an override for districts that have had recent defeats?

Any override needs to include an explanation about how the request will benefit students (children) and their education. At times overrides speak in terms of the wants and needs of a district without addressing how they will benefit the district’s students, which is what the bottom-line is for many voters.

What effect has the emphasis placed on high results on the AIMS test had on your district, schools and personnel? Do you think it should be a high school graduation requirement?

AIMS has had both beneficial and negative results. In general, schools have been more focused on measurable educational outcomes. On the other hand, teaching to standards at times robs teachers, and students, of the creativity that should be a part of the educational process. AIMS should not be a requirement for graduation. A student passing AIMS should receive a special high-school diploma, perhaps automatic admission to a state university with perhaps some form of financial assistance. Other students should be able to graduate with a standard diploma based on class work and/or other academic criteria.

What role should schools play in issues such as sex education and preventing alcohol/drug abuse and teen suicide?

As early as the 1950’s, schools realized that teaching about the human body and its various functions needed to be a part of their academic curriculum. I support this tradition. I also believe that including discussions of mental health issues such as addiction (drug and alcohol) and teen suicide can and probably should be included as part of a middle school curriculum. It is also important that such topics be supported by school nurses, social workers and counselors who can refer children with such issues to the appropriate agencies for assistance.

Should more schools in your district consider requiring uniforms or more standardized dress? Why or why not?

We already require uniforms in all our schools.

What should your district do if anything to compete with charter schools, private schools and neighboring school districts? What should your district do to boost student enrollment?

Our district has created schools which offer high quality specialized programs which are competing favorably with local private and charter schools. They include a Montessori school, as well as schools that focus on traditional education, the performing arts, environmental sciences to mention a few. These schools are already attracting students from our district, as well as those from outside the district, who might otherwise attend private or charter schools.

Are there any particular programs or programs in the curriculum that you'd like to see changed? Please explain.

The current program mandated by the State places ELLs in separate classrooms for four hours a day where they are to learn English. Without academic content in their ESL classes, these students will be sure to fall far behind those learning the academic curriculum – reading, writing, math, etc. Far more productive would be dual language classes which have had a great deal of success in private and charter schools.

Are you satisfied with the performance of the superintendent and overall district leadership?

Yes. Phoenix Elementary School District #1 has an excellent Superintendent/CEO as well as exceptional administrative staff.

Are you satisfied with the technology available to teachers and students in the district? If so, explain. If not, what specific technology would you support?

Our district has invested heavily in educational technology. The majority of our classrooms have “smart boards,” each teacher has a classroom computer, and in most schools there is a ratio of one computer for every three students. Furthermore in two of our schools, each 5th and 6th grade students has use of a handheld computer.

How do you feel about year-round schools?

I’m not supportive of year round schools. It is difficult for parents to juggle work schedules to accommodate the series of school breaks associated with year-round schools, especially if they have other children in traditional semester-based schools. I do, however, support longer school days.

Do you feel your district sufficiently communicates with parents and the community? If not, how would you improve that communication? How can you get the community more involved in schools?

Besides regularly scheduled meetings and events that each school schedules with parents, the Phoenix Elementary Governing Board sponsors a group of town meetings to get suggestions from parents about improvements or changes that might be made in terms of their children’s education. Many of their suggestions have been put into effect. Working with ASU we have also implemented a series of American Dream Education Academies – programs that assist parents in understanding the educational process to ensure that all children achieve their greatest educational potential. Thus far over 900 parents have graduated.

If redistricting is an issue for your school district on the November ballot, what do you think about the issue? Are you in favor or opposed? Why?

I oppose the redistricting issue on the November ballot. The proposed redistricting of our district (unifying one high school and 13 elementary school districts) will create a mega district of 116,000 or more students. It will cost millions of dollars to consolidate the 14 school districts – money that will have to come from classroom funds. The relationship that local school districts have with their constituents (students, parents, teachers) will suffer from the one-size-fits-all education that will be offered by the mega district. The unification plan is definitely not in the educational interest of our children.

With the closing of the Thomas J. Pappas Schools for the homeless this year, how should districts serve the influx of these students?

The federal Stewart B. McKinney Act, which provides funding to support education programs for homeless children, mandates that whenever possible homeless children should stay in their home school districts, with funding provided for transportation between the school and the shelter or other temporary housing where they may be staying. For homeless children from out of state there is federal funding to assist them with their special needs in whatever school they may attend. Studies have shown that homeless children who are integrated into local schools do better on their Stanford 9 and AIMS tests than those educated in separate schools. Presently when integration of children of different backgrounds and needs in our schools is the norm, it is iconoclastic to believe that homeless children should be educated separately. Segregation of homeless children in separate schools should not be tolerated any more than segregation by race, ethnicity or income!

What changes if any do you think should be made to the No Child Left Behind Act? How has NCLB affected your school district?

NCLB has not lived up to its promise. The law promised the State of Arizona millions of dollars in funding for academic support for low-income children. Most of these funds were never allocated.

How long have you lived in the district?

26 years

Do you have children in the district? If so, what schools do they attend and what grades?